Sue Fawthrop

I’ve drawn and painted most of my life, flirted with many ways of making an image and finally settled on painting out of doors, directly from the landscape using oil and/or gouache. Plein air painting is a delicious thing to do. Trying to capture one elusive ray of light as it hits a particularly bright field in the
distance, while hanging on to your hat and easel in a high wind is exciting. You can’t work too carefully if the brush is bouncing on the surface and the struggle against the elements comes through in the energy of the piece.
I love the smell of the paint, the light, the weather, the fact that everything is in constant flux. This is infused in the work, along with small insects, bits of
grass and occasionally a complete rework as everything has blown over and landed facedown (of course) in mud.
My aim is to create as much air and distance as possible on a small surface, working quickly and using big brushes and broad strokes to distill the scene
without losing its essence. Since the length of time spent on a piece is limited by the changing light, I establish the main elements as quickly as possible
and try not to pass over any area of paint more than twice. I am drawn by strong areas of contrast, especially light and shade and keep detail to a
minimum.
My subjects are landscape, coast and countryside, mainly of Dorset but also places I visit on holiday.
Quote from a studio visitor:
“Your brushwork is descriptive and the quite gorgeous palette used in every artwork illuminates....each one carries a “spatial weight” far greater than its
actual size. Buyers of your art get very good value!”
Quote from an Instagram follower:
“I want to be you when my painting grows up”